Path of true love can run to your own romantic retreat

WANT to add a touch of romance to your garden? Here are some of the features that could give your outdoor space that special something.

COTTAGE GARDEN FAVOURITES

Roses, foxgloves, peonies and delphiniums in soft, pastel shades of lilac, blues, pinks and whites all have their place in the cottage garden, which has a relaxed feel and a dreamy, haphazard informal structure.

If you have space, plant naturalistic grasses in swathes, interspersing them with soft-hued flowers, to create a hazy effect.

WHITE ROSES

White garden roses represent purity, innocence and, in earlier days, were used as a symbol of true love, before red became more popularly associated with it. If you want a romantic cottage garden, you will need an open, sunny area with well-drained soil, enriched with organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure.

Other plants which typically fit into the cottage garden setting include lavender, salvia, astrantia, Verbena bonariensis and aquilegia.

COSY SEATING

Even in the smallest space, if you can incorporate snuggled seating and fringe it with scented plants, such as lavender, or create an archway of roses and clematis over it, then you’ll be heading for the height of romance. A secluded spot somewhere quiet in the garden, which enjoys sun for at least part of the day, can become a lovers’ retreat.

WATER FEATURES

Not only does water bring an air of calm to a garden, it can also reflect the sky, passing clouds and surrounding foliage, as well as helping to blot out traffic noise.

It can be a feature to admire, or just to listen to at the end of the day. Coupled with soft solar lighting and white-flowered plants, it’s an after-dark haven. If you want the water to reflect the sky, go for a feature of shallow, still water without plants, using a dark material in the bottom of the water feature, to make the most of the reflections.

FLOWERS FOR CUTTING

Bring the romantic garden inside by growing flowers for cutting outside, including sweet peas, cornflowers and roses, as well as alstroemeria, delphiniums and pinks. Just a few blooms from your romantic plot, cut at the back of a plant where it won’t show, can be arranged in a pretty enamel jug or glass vase. Make sure you don’t cut your flowers from one place, leaving an obvious gap in your border, though.

SCULPTURE

A carefully-chosen sculpture is a huge romantic gesture in any garden. There’s a wealth to choose from, from granite nymphs and heart-shaped ironmongery to bronze lovers and coloured-glass installations and astrological signs.